Telephone muffler



H. A. SILVERMAN TELEPHONE MUFFLER Filed Nov. 17, 1923 IN VEN TOR k1,? ATTORNEYS Patented May 4, 1926.

PATENT, FFIQE.

HARRY A. SILVERMAN, or new YORK, N. Y.

TELEPHONE IIIUFFLEB.

Application filed Noveinbar 17, 1923.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HARRY A. Srmmmran, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Bronx, city and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Telephone Mufflers, of which the following is a specification.

In the proper use of the telephone the form of transmitter usually employed is an exceedingly efficientinstrument. In many instances, however, the telephone is improperly used. For instance many persons instead of speaking directly into the mouth piece of the transmitter direct the voice away from the mouth piece so that the sound waves are not carried thereby to the diaphragm. This, of course, is the fault of the user entirely. In other instances as a further example telephones are sometimes necessarily p aced in noisy rooms when extraneous sounds interfere with the use of the telephone in which events obviously there may be no fault to find in the manner in which the telephone itself is used. In both these, as well as other circumstances. the transmitter appears to be an exceedingly ineflicient instrument. The object of my invention is to overcome these difficulties by providing a so-called telephone muffler adapted to be placed on and attached to the transmitter of a telephone instrument and so constructed as to surround the mouth piece thereof as well' as to receive the mouth of the user so that the sound waves produced in speaking must be directed to the instru ment and cannot be interfered with by extraneous sounds or noises. Furthermore, the instrument made in accordance with my invention is one in which by placing the face directly in contact with the instrument with the mouth of the user lying within the same it is possible to breath in a natural manner as is done in speaking, that is largely through the mouth whereby in the use of the instrument the same privacy in conversation is obtained as if the user were in a telephone booth. The muffler is also preferably provided with an attachment for containing an antiseptic by which the instrument is automatically maintained in a cleanly condition. y

The telephone muflier made in accordance with my invention will be hereinafter more particularly described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in whicl1,-

Fig. 1 is an elevation and partial'longi- Serial No. 675,244.

tudinal section showing a tel phone niuiiler made in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan on a reduced scale showing the telephone instrument fitted with the improved mufl'ler.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation and partial cross section looking at the base of the instrument, and

Fig. 4C is an elevation looking at the instrument from the outer end thereof.

Referring to the drawing, the telephone muffler made in accordance with this invention preferably comprises a body member 10 made of any suitable material and preferably of a cylindrical configuration. At the base or inner end of the cylindrical body member 10 there is a flange 11. This flange is adapted to fit over the usual telephone transmitter which is indicated at 12 and to be secured thereto by a series of set screws 13 or otherwise. indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawing, the cylindrical body member 10 completely surrounds the mouth piece 14 of the transmitter. At the outer end the body member is preferably of an elliptical configuration being flared as indicated at 15 and 16 respectively at the oppositely disposed sides and recessed as indicated at 17 and 18 at the top and bottom edges, the configuration being such, as hereinbefore stated, as to adapt the instrument to receive the mouth portion of the face of a user so that the entire mouth and a portion at least of the chin are received in this outer end of the body member in the use of the muffler.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, I prefer to employ a ring of felt or other similar yielding material as indicated at 19 at the base of the recess in the flange 11 so as to lie between the same and the outer peripheral surface of the face plate of the telephone transmitter in order to yieldingly maintain the mullier in its proper position thereon. At the base of this recess in the flange 11 there is also acircular groove 20 providing for a rib 21 preferably in alignment with the body'member 10 and extending toward the face of the transmitter. The flange 11 is also provided with a series of apertures 21 preferably elliptical in form and extending through the flange into the circular groove 20. It will now be apparent that there is a muffler and respiration chamber, as indicated at 22, intermediate of the outer poi-.- tion of the transmitter mouth piece the in- IV hen in place, as clearly nor face of the body portion 10 of the muffler and which extends over the edge of the projecting flange 21 and into the circular groove 20, it being noted that there is an appreciable annular space between the periphery of the mouth piece 14 and the inner face of the body member 10 so that provision is made for breathing through the mouth in the use of the instrument. For example, when exhaling the breath may pass over the mouth piece into and through the chamber 22 and pass from the instrument through the apertures 21. Obviously when inhaling the atmosphere passes in the opposite direction.

In a suitable position and preferably at the bottom thereof the body member 10 is provided with a tapped opening 23. This is adapted to receive the screw threaded end of acup 2% which, when in place as will be understood, is in an inverted position. The inner wall of the cup is provided with a series of apertures 25 making" communication between the interior of the body member 10 and the interior of the cup. The cup is furthermore fitted with a cap 26 in which there is an opening 27 and which may be secured to the cup in any desired manner. The cup 2 is adapted to receive a valve or filling of suitable felt fabric or other like material which may be saturated with an antiseptic. The combined areas. of the aper tures 25 is considerably greater than the area of the aperture 27 so that in the use of the instrument the rcspirations of the user cause the valve to close. the apertures 25 when air is drawn through the same by which the vapors or fumes from the antiseptic are drawn. into the instrument to maintain the same in a sterilized condition and when the user exhales the valve is moved in the opposite direction to close the opening 27 which, however, is so relatively small that the antiseptic vapors which then escape are negligible.

It will also be noted that the flange 11 is interiorly provided with a recessed portion 25) adapted to receive the number plate usually employed on a telephone instrument. This not only adapts the instrument for use on an ordinary telephone transmitter, but also assures its proper position when placed thereon. Also as will be observed by reference to 1, the outer face of the flange 11 is provided with a recess, the oppositely disposed edges defining the same being undercut to receive a name or number plate for the instrument to which the muffler is secured.

In some instances it may be advisable in order to further eliminate or muffle the sound to extend a portion of the felt washer or ring 19 into the circular groove 20, or for this purpose a separate washer of felt or similar material may be fitted into this circular groove 20.

I claim as my invention:

1. A telephone muffler comprising a tubular body member adapted to extend over the mouth piece of a telephone transmitter and adapted at its outer end to receive the mouth of a. speaker, and a flange at the inner end of the said tubular body member adapted to fit over and be secured to the telephone transmitter, the said flange being provided with an interior annular recess and a plurality of apertures each extending from the base of said recess to the outer face of the flange.

2. A telephone mufller comprising a tubular body member adapted to extend over the mouth piece of a telephone transmitter and at its outer end to receive the mouth of a speaker, a flange at the inner end of the tubular body member adapted to fit over the telephone transmitter, the said flange having an annular recess interiorly thereof and be tween the said tubular body member and the outer portion of the flange, there also being a plurality of apertures extending between the base of the recess and the outer face of the flange, and means for connecting the said flange to the telephone transmitter.

3. A telephone muffler comprising a tubular body member adapted to extend over the mouth piece of a telephone transmitter and at its outer end shaped to receive the mouth of a speaker, an angular flange at the other end of the said tubular body member adapted to fit over the telephone transmitter, the said flange having an interior annular recess lying substantially parallel with the tubular body member, there being a plurality of apertures extending through the flange from the base of the recess to the outer face of the flange, and means for connecting the said flange to the telephone transmitter.

4. A telephone muli'ler comprising a tubular body member adapted to extend over the mouth piece of a telephone transmitter and at its outer end to conform to the mouth of a speaker, an angular flange at the other end of the said tubular body member which is adapted to extend over the body of the telephone transmitter, a Washer within the said flange adapted to bear against the outer face of the body of the telephone transmitter, there being an annular recess in the said flange with a plurality of apertures extending between the base of the said recess and the outer face of that portion of the flange in which the said recess is placed, and means for connecting the other portion of the said flange to the said telephone transmitter.

Signed by me this 8th day of November, 1923.

HARRY A. SILVERMAN. 

